Alot of time has been going into editing this book, so I’d love it to get a little attention.

On another note, it is our local library system’s Summer Reading program, so stay tuned for updates from my reading list – I’m behind on posting my reviews, but not on writing them. Tomorrow I’ll share images and updates on my shelves and reading stack…

Also I’ve been hitting the learning curve hard as I find myself in crash courses about computer updates and such while dealing with a connection issue on the borrowed laptop I use, and have found myself returning to “Ol’ Trusty”, my old heavy-duty Toughbook. I find myself amazed at the issues of Windows 10, and the durability of Windows XP.

Finally, I learned today that I was supposed to have taken a language class. I don’t know when that was, so I’ll find out more tomorrow. I may be opening a new chapter (pun intended) in my reading life! How exciting!

Anyways, just wanted to let you all know I’m still alive and still reading! Stay tuned for tomorrow’s update and be sure to check out the Kickstarter!

And for anyone still on the fence needing their last last minute something…

Their website says:

Star in your own personalized romance novel

In our novels, any couple can play the starring roles as hero or heroine. With 50+ books and ebooks set in exotic locations around the world, there’s something for everyone (even vampire, detective, golf and historical fiction). Our authors blend action and romance to produce fun, campy books for a one-of-a-kind gift or keepsake. Choose “Categories” to narrow in on yours!

Disclaimer: I am in no way connected to or involved with this product.

~*~

As to my writing projects… I have decided to go with a Day One approach tomorrow. Day One, starting over. Today, I got some stuff to get caught up on to clear my plate. Tomorrow though, first thing. (This is more a pep talk for myself than anything.)

~*~

Reading Updates:

Finished a few books, got a few that need reviewed, and a few current updates.

To start with,

Pg 102 –

In general, people save their warranties in clear folder files or accordion-style files. The attraction of these files is that the documents can be stored in separate compartments. However, therein lies their pitfall.

Had a wild weekend… Okay, not really. Got a new planner, started a new diet (medically required), got some coloring books, and finished one of my books while picking up on another.

I also visited the library. Yay! I get there so infrequently anymore, that I’m starting to feel like a stranger.

But I am back on track again today.

~*~

So, you remember those two books that I kept trying to finish last week? Yeah. Both went back to the library, although only one of them got finished.

For reference, those two are:

Anyone wanna guess which was which? No fear, I’ll be posting a review of the winner later tonight.

As for what I am currently working on, there are two – one is due today, and the other high on that list, too. Any guesses which is which?

For reference, they are…

One of these will get finished and reviewed today, too. Two reviews in one day??

Yessss…

~*~

And I know you’ve got a whole week to plan, now, but going to keep this up until the day before Valentine’s, because they also do e-books, in case you need a last minute something.

Their website says:

Star in your own personalized romance novel

In our novels, any couple can play the starring roles as hero or heroine. With 50+ books and ebooks set in exotic locations around the world, there’s something for everyone (even vampire, detective, golf and historical fiction). Our authors blend action and romance to produce fun, campy books for a one-of-a-kind gift or keepsake. Choose “Categories” to narrow in on yours!

Disclaimer: I am in no way connected to or involved with this product.

~*~

As to my writing projects, I didn’t get anything done. Except planning. I did do some planning. Quite a bit, actually. Now I just need that carrot and stick…

So yesterday was another set-back day. So I am up early this morning, getting things done, and kicking my sleep habit. We got stuff to do, and sleep is a luxury.

~*~

This morning I am going to try to finish those two books that are weighing so heavily on me. And maybe one or two others. We’ll see.

For reference, those two are:

Both good books. And I will finish both today, and turn them in, come Hell or high water (good thing I live on a hill)!

~*~

And I know I mentioned this yesterday, but going to keep this up until the day before Valentine’s, because they also do e-books, in case you need a last minute something.

Their website says:

Star in your own personalized romance novel

In our novels, any couple can play the starring roles as hero or heroine. With 50+ books and ebooks set in exotic locations around the world, there’s something for everyone (even vampire, detective, golf and historical fiction). Our authors blend action and romance to produce fun, campy books for a one-of-a-kind gift or keepsake. Choose “Categories” to narrow in on yours!

Disclaimer: I am in no way connected to or involved with this product.

~*~

As to my writing projects, I didn’t get anything done.

I wound up getting visited by out of town relatives. Seems everyone wants to see me lately…

More about what I did accomplish to come…

~*~

Reading Updates:

Pg 248 –

“Anytime there is a power shift, people rumble. After you kill the first couple of challengers, you’ll be fine.”

Pg 256 –

Jennifer looked at me. “I’ll give you three wolves.”

“Why three?”

“If there is trouble, one will take custody of you and execute a retreat, while the other two will run interference.”

Pg 263 –

“If she decides that you’re not up to snuff, she’ll fix the mistake of your existence. Her words, not mine.”

“She has a high opinion of herself,” Andrea said.

“Oh yes. When she gets into a car, her ego has to ride shotgun.”

Pg 304 –

The shapeshifters didn’t believe in jails. Typical punishments were death or labor. In the rare cases when they did sentence someone to isolation, they exiles them to a remote area.

Pg 312 –

Damn near half of Atlanta must’ve seen the flag and turned out to watch the Order slug it out with the Plaguebringer. Every single one of them could die tonight and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.

Pg 318 –

She started toward me, bringing her goons in a triangular formation: Beast on the left, Gale on the right, and Darkness in the center.

Pg 328 –

“You’re mine. You can’t let her win. She can’t have you.”

Pg 335 –

“Next we have Clan Heavy, the large predators who don’t fit into the other packs. Wereboars, werebison, werewolverines, even a werebaboon, but most of them are bears and bears hate to be surprised. “

So yesterday was another set-back day. So I am up early this morning, getting things done, and kicking my sleep habit. We got stuff to do, and sleep is a luxury.

~*~

This morning I am going to try to finish those two books that are weighing so heavily on me. And maybe one or two others. We’ll see.

For reference, those two are:

Both good books. And I will finish both today, and turn them in, come Hell or high water (good thing I live on a hill)!

~*~

And I know I mentioned this yesterday, but going to keep this up until the day before Valentine’s, because they also do e-books, in case you need a last minute something.

Their website says:

Star in your own personalized romance novel

In our novels, any couple can play the starring roles as hero or heroine. With 50+ books and ebooks set in exotic locations around the world, there’s something for everyone (even vampire, detective, golf and historical fiction). Our authors blend action and romance to produce fun, campy books for a one-of-a-kind gift or keepsake. Choose “Categories” to narrow in on yours!

Disclaimer: I am in no way connected to or involved with this product.

~*~

As to my writing projects, I didn’t get anything done.

I wound up getting visited by not one, but two visitors, and had to watch the new episode of Shannara.

More about what I did accomplish to come…

~*~

Reading Updates:

Pg 101 –

The notation stated that the parchment was found inside the amulet and it was blank. Whooptidoo.

Pg 132 –

The night was freezing and I took Karmelion, my old, beat-up truck of a bile green color. It was missing the front light assembly and had more dents than a crushed Coke can, but it ran during magic waves and it would keep me warm. It also made enough noise to wake the dead, but I didn’t care. Being warm won.

Pg 163 –

I had to keep Saiman alive. I needed him to help me with my petition, and I had extended the Order’s protection to him when I agreed to this idiotic date.

So yesterday my good friend, Brendan Johnson reviewed a book that I had been pushing him to read – Dress for Sexcess. It was, as he likes to put it, a snark-fest. As much as I wanted to hear his thoughts, and more or less knew what he was thinking, it was still fun to read, and had me and my consort laughing as we read it.

*Please note, since I got this book from GoodReads, I am only posting the links to the GoodReads reviews of this. You can also find my review on LeafMarks, although it has not been updated yet. More sites to follow, probably today.

~*~

This morning I got an overdue notice for two library books. Ye-ouch. I try not to hang onto library books too long – I know other people want to read them, too. But I hate returning a book partly read. So you will likely see quite a few updates as I read them today.

For reference, they are:

Both good books, but what I call ‘kitty porn’ or ‘fighter porn’ (privately, of course).

So I will be on a readerly mission to finish both today, and turn them in. Be prepared for updates!

~*~

Speaking of porn, on the radio this morning, I heard about a tantalizing little suggestion for your bookish honey…

Their website says:

Star in your own personalized romance novel

In our novels, any couple can play the starring roles as hero or heroine. With 50+ books and ebooks set in exotic locations around the world, there’s something for everyone (even vampire, detective, golf and historical fiction). Our authors blend action and romance to produce fun, campy books for a one-of-a-kind gift or keepsake. Choose “Categories” to narrow in on yours!

Too cool, right? I’m thinking of getting one, just to try it out. They’re a bit pricey, but no more so than a nice dinner out.

Disclaimer: I am in no way connected to or involved with this product.

~*~

As to my writing projects, I didn’t get anything done.

I knew it was an ambitious goal, but got a call, and wound up tied up on the phone yesterday with people calling and being called to let them know about a former neighbor of mine that died suddenly of cancer. It was stunning news for alot of us that didn’t know he had it.

Public service announcement time: if you got something going on that ain’t right, get it checked out. Better safe than sorry. He left behind a year-old baby and young wife. This is the second situation that I have heard of the exact same thing.

I also spent alot of time calling my own doctor to schedule my treatments. The scheduling keeps getting pushed back and falling between the cracks, so I felt that this was a kick in the pants that I needed to stop kicking back and waiting for treatment, and taking a more proactive approach.

Today I will work further on my writing, catching up. This was one of the reasons I refused to add page goals or word counts.

I am working on catching up with my reviews again, so this page is going to go through alot of transformations in the next few days. Feel free to check back often and click on the covers for their reviews. If a cover doesn’t take you to a review right away, check back in a day or two – I may not have finished it yet.

I post short reviews with the link back to the full reviews on many sites:

Posting all of the reviews at approximately the same time takes a little time in itself. I try to make sure each is given equal love. To write and post a review takes about an hour, although depending on distractions, it can take longer. Some books it is hard to say something about, and others I can’t say enough, but each review takes a chunk of time. I try to make it worthwhile, for me and anyone who reads this.

That said, I also have a bit of literary events and interests that I post about from time to time, and since I travel for work, I may get to share locations like this:

Yes. That is a tunnel made from books. (There will be more photos later.)

I also attend some fascinating events that pertain to literature – in some cases remotely, some directly. Like this one:

#Thinkitup

And I am continuing my reading challenge – are you still reading along? I’ll be posting my selections for each category soon, and would like to know what you have read…

Finally, this is the year I have declared to be The Year of Women Authors (#yearofwomenauthors #2015YoWA). I have read books by men and women, but have tried to find books with an emphasis of women. This has expanded my usual reading choices, and encouraged me to release my own story for publication –

So continue reading along, and I’ll have more exclusives coming your way soon!

Okay, so I have fallen tragically behind on my reviews, although I have been reading still. It’s just that time of the summer, where the kids are getting bored with summer, errands and chores that were put off at the beginning of summer need doing, and everyone wants a piece of your time – so the constantly growing list starts to look daunting. (This sounds like the good premise of a short story…)

But, I am not to be put off, even if the task is challenging – it just needs to be re-imagined and put into a different format to make it easier to read (or do).

So, without further ado, the list of books that will be pending review (please note that links to the reviews will be available as the reviews become complete):

I have finally caught up on my reviews from my trip to Dallas, and I wanted to let you all know about what’s new and interesting here, as well as draw your attention to some of the exciting things that I have going…

click for full sized jpeg

My older Army brother challenged me (he declined this, saying he didn’t have the patience), and I have already challenged some of my friends, when I thought, who better to share this with?? You all, of course!

I Challenge You To the 2015 Reading Challenge!

Post below to accept the Challenge. So far, my list is growing. There are 50 different categories listed, and after some conversation with friends, there are two ways to approach this Challenge.

The Hard Way: You read one book for each category, no doubles. This could literally take all year, because some of these may take some time to find…

The Easy Way: You can double, triple, and even quadruple up your books. Read one book and fit it into as many categories as you can, then move onto the next. This way will take as much creativity as the Hard Way, but will take less time to complete.

Print out the list and write in your reads. I will hold a contest at the end of the year for both Ways – will you be the winner? You can start anytime, but you’ve only got until the end of this year, and only books you’ve read this year will count. Are you brave enough to accept it?

So I just got back from a long trip in Dallas, TX. That was the longest lay-over I have ever experienced. Words don’t even begin to describe. But, as you can see above, I had a travel companion. My suitcase was also packed with books. (My friends laughed at me, but somehow, with everything, I still managed to pack smaller and more completely than they did. Books are magic like that!)

What you don’t see here is my shoulder bag. It, too, was packed with books (and my friend’s laptop). After being stuck in the airport for almost two days, and stuck in the hotel in Dallas for more than that, I was so glad that I packed so many books. (Can you believe that I was starting to doubt myself?!) I got alot of reading done, but I also spent time taking in the sights. Unfortunately, my chargers were all in my suitcase, which I had checked due to the weight of it. (Won’t be doing that again.) So that means you’ll have to take my word on stuff.

But this site is not about my travels, oh, no. It’s about books. More specifically, the books I’ve read. And did I ever read!

Besides the stuff I needed to read for this training conference, I managed to read about one complete book a day. (Did I mention that I had alot of downtime due to being stuck?) When the world gives you time, READ!

I also had, in moments of brilliance, ideas about this site. I have added three new classifications above: Children’s Choices (books my daughter has chosen), Graphically Graphic (a home for graphic novels), and Noticing Non-fiction (an under-appreciated genre). Check them out, and the books that are being added to each.

I have also been working on collaborations and other artsy projects. My younger brother has suggested that I write some of my travel stories, so I am at the idea stage on that. Still not sure about it. I have also been working on taking old pictures from the phones and putting them into mini videos. The editing process is longer than I thought it would be, especially since the software I’m using has updated, and I’m still figuring it out. And now that warmer weather is in sight, there are loads of home improvements to be made, and painting projects to be done.

That means, reviews will still keep coming, but after I catch up, there may be some further house-cleaning here, too. I want to make this site easy to navigate, the pages better formatted, and fun for me! After all, once stuff gets easier to update, that means more time to read!

Oh, yeah, and that update from the mystery author I promised… stay tuned! I have an exclusive excerpt to share! And it is amazing…